D♭ Phrygian dominant

D♭1E♭♭♭2F3G♭4A♭5B♭♭♭6C♭♭7

The fifth mode of harmonic minor: a flat second over a major third, so the step from the second to the third is a step and a half.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are C♯ Phrygian dominant.

on ukulele on piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Db Phrygian dominant, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

D♭HE♭♭W+HFHG♭WA♭HB♭♭WC♭WD♭

What is true of it

D♭ Phrygian dominant is D♭, E♭♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭♭ and C♭, and back to D♭.

Its steps are H – W+H – H – W – H – W – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 8 alterations, E♭♭ and B♭♭ among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

On the same tonic, D♭ Phrygian differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 45 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

D♭major D♭augaugmented D♭7dominant seventh Fdimdiminished Faugaugmented G♭mminor A♭dimdiminished A♭m7♭5half-diminished seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on D♭

D♭ Lydian dominantexotic D♭ alteredexotic D♭ double harmonicexotic D♭ majormajor D♭ natural minorminor D♭ harmonic minorminor

C phr dom D phr dom D♯ phr dom E♭ phr dom E phr dom F phr dom F♯ phr dom G♭ phr dom all 374